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Monday 7 November 2011

pictures of new halter from b-day



this one above i posted just, cuz i like the way he's posing/standing

first time in side reins

had doran in side reins for frst time on saturday.
he did better then i thought he would.he was feeling especially fresh in the cold weather and he defenately wasn't afraid to show it.so i was expecting a bit of a resistent nature when it came to putting them on,so when jen(my instructor) came i told her he was a bit of a jacka$$ today and would like to take it a bit slower as it was something new to him and the way he was acting.
i did do some free lunging and such to get him listening before she came as i hadn't done anything with him for a while,which could also mplay a role in his behavior.he's one of those horses that if you don't do any riding/training for a while and then do one day he is a bit of a handle full for a bit.
but he settled down after a while and was ready to go.started on a very loose side rein and was going well with out any roadblocks,so we hiked it up a couple holes,that went well to and this reapeated until we had a pretty good contact on the side reins.
he was somewhat confused at what to think about these side reins on him,but excepted them. he would collect then loose it,then cllect then loose it.his balance has something to do with that,but thats the reason we started him in them in the first place to teach/help him with it,without me on his back.
jen did most of the lunging and i just kept behind her and once in a while i would ask her simple questions and what she was trying to get him to do.
i have a lesson again tomorrow and that is if it doesn't rain any harder. good grieve i dislike cold rainy seasons doesn't make training very enjoyable..still looking for affordable winter board...but not getting very far in this economy."sigh"

Tuesday 25 October 2011

the one sided horse lesson

as my topic says i have a young horse that has a hard time bending on the right rein.   .lesson went fairly well.. working on keeping a holding outside rein, to keep him from bulging his shoulder out and a give and release with my inside,but my outside as well to keep his head from looking to the outside of the circle, when he gives. my leg cues are less to be desired, as they have become a weak leg over time,so it takes alot of leg for me to keep him forward and bend around me...i did get a few strides here and there when i had it all together.
half way through the lesson i had jen(my instructor) get on him,as i am a visual type rider to not only school him a bit,but also to get an idea of what i need to be doing more or less of. she really had to get after him to get him  forward off the leg,which was no surprise to me...it got better after a while though..we ended on the lesson where he was soft on the aids and giving more on his off side
next lesson we have a plan to start him in some side reins on the lungeline to help him get the idea of what we are asking him to do. then convert that to under saddle.
got some riding homework to do over the next few days. weather permitting :(...rain,rain,rain for the rest of the week.

Saturday 22 October 2011

an evening in horsey heaven

today was the first day of the yearly event called "the mane event" as i find myself (and my mother) going, to our first time to this big thing, i am quite excited to see what's in-store for me at this event,.that others get so excited about..now i see why people are surprised that i hadn't been yet,and why they called it horsey heaven. it was literally wall to wall booths of everything imaginable anywhere from halters to equine nutrition and abroad.. i didn't even know where to start first.well put it this way it was a very easy event to spend thousands of $$$$$$$.i eventually walk out with a thin, but informative book called"lessons in horsemastership" by goerge morris and others, from Hcbc bookstore section and a order for some new stirrup leathers from abby saddle shop..wow what big spree i had(sarcasm)
i also got to watch the clinic of Bernie Traurig 1hr and a half of good instruction and information.flatwork and some jumping with a mix of int-adv riders doing a school over small fences/ gymnastics roughly 2'6 and under.courses will be going tomorrow morning.i will not be able to attend the other 2 days:(, so will be missing out on the conclusion of the clinic so can't blog much about the rest of the clinic.at this time i am wishing my payday came sooner.

in all.. i really enjoyed my evening out with my mother and has given me a bit of a push to get doran going more and excited for the future.i will MAYBE having some good oppurtunities and changes coming up this winter ..so stay tuned :) as it is still in the planning stages.

Thursday 20 October 2011

tip of the week:)

if you have a horse that wants to chew on his blanket and don't have "no chew spray". or equivalent,use hot mustard.in dry or prepared form..

Wednesday 19 October 2011

shopping spree at tack store

You know those times where you go to buy one thing in a store and come out with more then originally planned , then shutter to think how much you actually spent..well i spent over a $100.00 today at tack store..my original plan was to just get a dressage whip, as i foolishly left my other one to close to the fence and my "mouthy" horse got to it..it is now a thin stick with a white handle.anyways i did buy a dressage whip and a nice one too,for a good price of $15.00.
then i started to think about the rainy/snowy months and wishing i had a blanket for him and again foolishly asked if there were any blankets on sale.not actually seriously wanting to buy one right now,but i broke down and did.i walked away with a 600 danier(sp?) 78"weatherbetta turnout, that's hunter green with silver piping.for the "huge"price of $89.00.
it wasn't as heavy as i would of liked but i figured if he needs more warmth in winter i will either spree agin and get an under sheet or just through a  wool cooler of some sort and just get a blanket surcingle.which i already have in my myriad of horse equipment.
will be taking some picks of what i got,will post them when i do.
other half of my money will be spent at the mane event this weekend.but will be a bit more restricted at what i can get as i have 90$ left in my budget.oh well better then going with nil, right?

Monday 17 October 2011

slightly off topic........

i feel like i have just been repeating my posts, as nothing has changed in training and my riding yet,so i was thinking of not doing posts as often as i have been.like for example once or twice a month instead of every couple days.
and would like to know what would interest my followers and general public reading /looking at my blog.besides vids and pix.

leave comment or email me:)

thank you in advance to all bloggers, followers and everyone in between lol

patience,patience,patience

"patience is a virtue" and is sure being tested alot .as a re- rider i am still battling my riding still while i am riding doran and he is being a good boy through all of it and find myself a bit frustrated by the end of the ride,even when nothing went terribly wrong.my mother and instructor basically say have patience it will come back and just keep practicing. 
secondly like i have said in my previous blog posts is i am being so patient to when i have a arena,which in this case will not be till summer of next yr.riding in a 15 m circle can be quite tough, when there is so much restricted on what you can do in that small of an area.but i try my best to make do.have asked new coach about possibly doing trailer in's through the winter to be able to have opportunity to have arena to ride in and see what doran has to offer in a bigger area ,as i find he restricts his movement in my current "riding arena" (or lack there of).doran can be quite a handful at new/busy places, so will see how it works out.will be good for him anyways as i want to eventually show him.so will be a experience to put to use.
now to my update on my riding progress, i am done complaining..lol...i have had a couple lessons and practice since i last posted and have been going fairly well as can be expected. lessons are working on the same things i have previously posted,keeping going on changes of direction,walk and trot transitions,halts(which he does perfectly),responsiveness to leg aids(still needs work)and getting doran to except more contact,does figit more but after a while seems okay with more in hand,but keeping soft at same time..work on me is still the same eyes up,heels down,body not so far forward,etc. so not much has changed..lessons have been only 30min as we tire out pretty quickly:(  .augh where did my 15 yrs of riding go!! and yet am told i don't look like im struggling up there..go figure.
my newest news is that i will be attending the mane event in chilliwack bc next weekend that is put on every yr that have lots of vendors and clinics..will be my first time going and am excited to go watch bernie traurig(jumping)clinic portion of the event. any of my US followers should know him...so hoping to learn lots from watching the clnic for the 21-23rd of the event. not that often that us canadian riders get BNT from US come to canada..i wish i could of ridin' in it..but oh well nother time.
p.s also planning some nice winter pampering for my horse this yr.so if anyone wants to post some interesting ideas  in the comments ,,plz do:)

well anyways hope to have more interesting updates next blog post and 
hope everyone else is having good times with their horses too.

Thursday 6 October 2011

i will try to keep this one short and sweet.
nother schooling day with doran is doing wonderful..he is learning really quickly.today i got him to:

turn on the forehand both direction w/o halt in between,is getting idea of what leg pressure is. i was proud of him

the others are getting better,but still need work on account of me:
but kept him going around in trot in 2 point,,even got 2 strides of canter without asking, but thats okay.didn't get after him for that as i don't want him thinking cantering is wrong.
i got about 2 solid round without poopin out.  next goal: 3  :)
turning across centerlines-still needs work.

just to let my followers know i am trying to do all this in a approx 15m circle on uneven ground and slope..its harder then you think..if i wish apon a star for an arena,do you think ill get one the next morning?.
we'll just have to see what happens in my lesson tomorrow

Tuesday 4 October 2011

horses are the best teacher's young or old

my prayers were answered, as the rain held off for my much anticipated lesson.yay.
today's lesson consisted of some challenges for me and doran,but i like a challenge as i feel it makes me not only a better rider,but gets me that much closer to where i wanna be  those challenges come with their own set of challenges to. explain this in a minute. :)

the 2 seeming simple exercises that i used to do hundred times over before  have become increasing hard as i am not as fit, as i was . and also struggling trying to get my riding skills back e.g riding posture as one of them.anyways the first exercise was to keep doran at the trot around my very small round pen and cut across and change direction,then another round and then change direction again cutting across.
as i was thinking so much about keeping doran going,keeping head up,heels down  sit up etc that i would not only poop out before i would get there,but would then miss my turn and quickly realize i had and not do such a smooth turn as expected..ugh. its amazing how much i have lost over the 3 yrs i haven't been riding. doran was doing well except thinking there was horse eating people by the car that was parked by the fence.would bulge in by the fence."geez doran if my riding area wasn't small enough".
2nd exercise was the inevitable 2 point at trot.yet again simple exercise of going 3 trips around without loosing 2 point.wasn't happening today.i think i got one round..
definitely have homework to do..even with all my struggles and both of us learning,doran has been trying his heart out and is doing very well.think he is even learning fast then i am,if horses could speak"i would say wait for me".we ended on a good note,and gave doran a big pat and hug.
its hard to believe previous barn i was at called this horse dangerous! he is doing just the opposite and is teaching me things.

Sunday 2 October 2011

practice makes perfect!

 today was practice ride day.. for what i got given for homework from Thursday's lesson. so this is what i did

-walk/trot keeping even forward pace
-halt transitions from walk and trot -remembering to keep my upper body from tipping forward,(still trying to
work on getting my balance back)
-turn on the forehand-  getting doran to respond more easily to inside to outside aids, found i had to use taps of my whip a few times here and there and exaggerated my opening direct rein to get doran to understand what,when  and where i want him to go.
all done in both directions.
planning on riding tommorow so it is fresh  for tuesday. even if its raining,will be interesting as i haven't ridden him in rain yet.

on a different note still find myself getting frustrated at the fact i am having troubles with my equitation and co-ordination in my riding from my hiatus....i mean i am a rider who used to ride/ train not only her own,but i would ride/train other's horses and school the schoolhorses to keep them in shape and such.i used to ride atleast 4-5 horses a day and ride without a second thought whether my eyes are up,heels are down or whether my body is keeping in rhythm or position.now i am having to remember or check myself on those all over again.
have other people behind me it will come back with practice and not be so hard on myself.."the perfectionist in me says otherwise"..all i can do is keep my chin high sort of speak and just keep practicing.

overall a good ride and look forward to lesson on tuesday.

Thursday 29 September 2011

just more pics to admire of my boy:)

The search is over

as you previously read i was on a search for a coach to bring me and doran along on our much awaited journey to eventually be in the hunter ring..
well just as the title says "the search is over" . I  have found a coach.
she came well prepared and professional when she arrived and had a very open personality at first impression.loved it! as i am not into hard people.. sorry didn't know how else to word that.at first meet seemed to click right away.
before she arrived i had lunged doran and had his attention as he is a pro at it.  though he was a bit goofy at times,but was generally himself. I started to tack up..i hadn't gotten my saddle on yet by the time she came here.did apologize for that, as most coaches prefer you be saddled and mounted by the time your lesson is scheduled.she seemed okay with that, as it was our first day with her.i try my best to be professional about things too,shows you mean business and up to learning and not wasting their time.
coach was very good at explaining things(which in my world need alot of these days to understand what i am looking for and how to correct things when they come up.she was very open to answering my questions i had while things were going along.she took to doran as far as compliments go about him.she said he was very good looking and for good for such a green horse.
all together she had most attributes i was looking for in a coach. yaaaay.
lesson was only half hour long as doran doesn't need any longer at this point at his level of learning.
lesson consisted of just getting him to keep his pace at walk and trot without having to use so much leg work.legs are a bit sore.ouch!, and some turns on the forehand.
doran had his baby stubborn moments when asked to go forward but didn't go as far as just some head fussing and a very small hop in the hind end and eventually stopped when he knew he wasn't going to get away with it and just focused on keeping him forward and attentive..
i got off as she asked if she could hop on him,just wanting to get a feel of what i am working with and she asked for turns of the forehand too. she just did a couple rounds and then lesson was over.
got some homework on first day to keep my head up(seems to work better when i am..go figure!),work some more on groundwork,and just be consistent on riding more(rain or shine),keep at what im doing and i'll be fine.
had very nice chat afterwards and look forward to next lesson on tuesday the 4th of october.

Wednesday 28 September 2011

sporting the mohawk

this is a result of having to roach his mane after a another horse got their muzzle on it in may'11 when i was boarding.horse took a chunk out right in the middle(which is still evident in pic)..it looked horrible:( .it has since then has grown longer and half of it has laid over,but still sports the mohawk up closer to his poll. when i roached his mane,i was so regretting doing it afterwards as ive never had to do it to any of my horses i have owned,but surprisingly looked fine with no mane....now working towards the show worthy mane.which will take a while yet.  more pics to come of him.

Tuesday 27 September 2011

now that doran has been under saddle for almost 2 months now(since mid aug),we haven't been riding everyday as the wet fall/winter weather is here. i have been on the search now for a coach to bring me and him along.even though i think i could do quite a bit on my own, i just would like some guidance and some goal setting help.miss having an instructor,haven't had one for 6-7 yrs i have put a ad on horse council bc and have received a couple replies and have someone coming this thursday the 29th. it will be just a meet and show where we are at type 1st day,so there won't be much to blog about,but i will anyways.
its been very rainy and windy here in bc and am hoping it will be a nicer day on thursday"crossed fingers"..even if it doesn't rain i will be happy. its times like this i miss my big barn in matzqui that had an indoor attached to the barn.
any of my followers have atleast 50 g's to build me a new one...lol.

stay tuned for how the new instructor works out.

Wednesday 21 September 2011

learning together

as a re rider with a green horse can be work and more then i thought.i am trying to find my balance and co ordination again as it apparently has gone into the oblivion at some point.lol very frustrating as i feel i am holding not only myself but my horse as well back.
i had started doran in a eggbutt snaffle w/ copper roller and have for a while now, felt like it wasn't working for him,so today i switched to a d ring snaffle just for curiosity,i actually wanted to put him in a regular snaffle,just another thing that has disappeared into thin air..".those darn barn gremlins are at it again". he seems to like it a little better.doesn't chomp on bit as much and responds a little better to it.or to put it another way as much as can be expected out of a greenie.
did some walk /trot trying to keep rhythm with good balance.apparently that was to much to ask out of this out of shape body of mine.ugh!
 mom put me on lunge line and did some no hand and no stirrup work to help me with my failing EQ.while trying to teach doran somethings at same time. doran has become really,really lazy so what we worked on was keeping more forward in walk and trot. him being slow can only be blamed by myself as i trained him to be slower in his gaits,cuz i like a horse i don't have to constantly slow down or hold back,but he went over board with the don't go too fast method and now regretting doing that method. i am at a point of going against my strong beliefs and getting some mild spurs.yikes..NEVER had to use them since my 4h yrs on a leased horse.never my own.but if that's what going to work then thats what i have to do.simple as that!
mooving over is a hard thing for him to grasp as well. not quite clicking in his brain. finally got him to do it by me putting my leg on and move on the ground tapping with the whip behind my leg right away.
backing up is getting better not putting his head up as much,which is nice.
at this point me and my horse are learning together,just like i did with his mother.
thank you to my horse for trying the best he can.even when things get frustrating for him too and not making me eat dirt lol.or in this case right now its very hard gravel..OUCH

ended on  where i could walk trot nicely in one round both directions,gave him a pat and a treat and start the whole process again next ride when weather co operates.
CANT WAIT TIL I HAVE ARENA!!!!!

thanx to the people who are following my blog.

Saturday 17 September 2011

my first blog post intro

i am a 29 yr old rider who started riding at the age of 8-9 yrs old ,i lost interest for a while,then started again when i was 13, and have ridden ever since.in that time i have had my share of all kinds of horses in size, temperment and training.to the smallest 13.h pony to a big  17.2 tb x.keep in mind i am only 5 feet tall.i owned my first horse at the age of 17.my first horse was a rescued weanling filly named shadow. we learned everything together and she became the best horse ever.i had already been riding a long time before i got my own horse.when shadow was 7 i got her bred to a wb stallion named dorian grey.as in the sport i want to pursue ,wb's are greatly valued and i couldn't afford a made one,so why not raise my own...by this time i have raised quite a few babies and green horses,so another one shouldn't be a problem.
in may of 2007 i awoke to a very leggy and bright chestnut colt at my mares feet.he thought right from the start he was king of the barn.i have a few photos to prove it...and boy was he bred to jump.when he was 1 month old he jumped out of my arena which was approx 3'6 and then at 2 yrs old he jumped a 6 foot fence.he was a very hard horse to convince to stay in his paddock/pastures finnaly had to electrify fence line to keep him in...from that i new i had a jumper on my hands and was excited to have a horse that had talent for jumping.as thats exactly what i wanted.
as i want to make this short i will jump to present.
he is now 4 yrs old and was started under saddle later then i had hoped,but we have had some bumpy roads along the way as far as moving from here, there and everywhere and finally settling him here at home again.
he has been under saddle for a little over a month now.i am finding he is very sensitive to the riders seat which has its pro's and con's.he is doing walk/ trot and i had gotten 1 canter from him and yet to try again.,but we have limited space and is hard to canter no more then a couple strides around.he is also finding ways out of things and is testing me a bit,which is a bit frustrating at times.
like yesterday i had to quit as myself was getting a bit upset as i was feeling like i wasn't riding at my best i could be and was making my horse finicky and was just in a frustrating cycle type of ride.tomorrow is another day right.
otherwise he is learning quickly and is a very smooth and floaty ride.i love him so much.